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Thursday, June 21, 2012

The Great Diaper Debate

Let me just start out by saying that this is one of those posts where I'm REALLY reaching out to readers and BEGGING for responses/comments/tips/advice. Here's why:

After much deliberation, research, and youtube review watching, McKay and I have decided that we want to try cloth diapering with our new little one on the way. Before you think I'm totally insane, know that cloth diapers have improved LEAPS and BOUNDS in the past few decades. We're not talking about flat diapers and pins anymore. There are several different options when it comes to cloth diapering nowadays. And they're cute. Like...really cute.

There are two main reasons why we decided to try cloth diapering. The first is that it's much more economical than using your typical disposable diapers. The average person will spend hundreds of dollars a year on diapers - and that usually lasts for at least two years (longer for some). With cloth diapers, you have a bigger initial investment, but then you spend little to nothing (depending on the type of diaper you choose) for the rest of your diapering days.

The second reason is that I hate knowing that I'm contributing to the 20 billion diapers per year being dumped in landfills in the US. And disposables take around 500 years to biodegrade, thanks to their plastic content. The "green" solution? Cloth diapers.

After doing some homework, I knew that I wanted to use the "All In Two" type of cloth diaper (I get that a lot of people who aren't familiar with cloth diapers have no idea what that means...sorry). I don't want to have to toss the whole sha-bang into the diaper pail after every change. With all in twos, you only have to toss the insert/liner and can continue to use the outer diaper (the part that you see). I also love the versatility of a "hybrid" diapering system. Hybrids give you the option of using a reusable cloth insert or a biodegradable disposable insert. Different situations may call for different materials (i.e. daycare, traveling, etc.)

My favorite cloth diapering system that I've seen? gDiapers. They satisfy both of my inclinations (all in two and hybrid) and they are just so. dang. cute. The only downside I have seen is that they are sized (as opposed to being a one-size diaper that grows with your baby), so you have to buy multiple sizes. I actually like that, because it seems like the diapers will fit better than a "one size fits all" situation. Some people don't like the gcloth inserts, but you don't HAVE to use any particular insert--I've seen people use all kinds of inserts for different diapers.

For those who want to learn more about modern cloth diapers, or if you're just curious, here is a great link with tons of information:

Anyway--I want all of the information/tips/advice/reviews I can get!! If you or someone you know would be willing to share some insight, it would be GREATLY appreciated!! Seriously--if you have a friend or a cousin or a neighbor or whatever--would you PLEASE send them to me?! I will love you forever. So will the landfills. And Eva's bum.

1 comment:

We cloth diaper and I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!! I am super happy with cloth diapering, I don't think it is any grosser than disposables...poop is poop regardless of where it is. In fact, I think cloth diapering is less gross because I don't have to worry about blow outs. I don't know much about the diaper you are planning on using. We use the bumgenius 4.0. They are one size pocket diapers. The one size diapers are a little bulky in the beginning, but not bad. And we saved a ton of money by doing one size, we spent a little less than 400 and should be set through potty training.